Christians take stand against UK university*

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
Last Updated: 4:01am BST 20/08/2007

A Christian student society is going to the High Court to overturn a
ruling requiring it to admit non-Christians.

The Christian Union at Exeter said the ruling by an independent
adjudicator would mean Muslims or atheists could become its leaders.

Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, is backing the
organisation.

His successor, Dr Rowan Williams, has criticised the "suppression" of
Christian groups on campuses.

The 350-strong Union was told by the Students' Guild, which regulates
student bodies, last year that it may lose its status unless it drops
its requirement for members to declare their faith in Jesus because it
meant the society was closed to many students.

The University appointed Mark Shaw QC to produce an independent
adjudication.

In his ruling earlier this month, he criticised the union for
restricting its membership to Christians, even though its meetings are
open to all.

Lord Carey said: "This ruling opens the way for a Muslim to head up an
Anglican Society or a member of the BNP to chair the Labour club.

Ben Martin, a member of the union, said the union had to challenge the
"unbalanced and selective" ruling.

He said the union would instruct Paul Diamond, the lawyer who
represented Nadia Eweida in her dispute with British Airways over her
right to wear a cross.

Dr Peter May, chairman of the Universities and Colleges Christian
Fellowship and a member of the General Synod, said in an appeal to
Church leaders: "Christian students are having their right to free
speech, freedom of association and freedom to practice their religion
eroded away by discriminatory equal opportunities policies."

The National Union of Students said: "Students' unions have a duty to
provide a safe and inclusive environment for all communities.

"As a result, they continually take steps to ensure that their own equal
opportunities policies are adhered to."